This week's part of our adventure involved going to Indianapolis to visit the Department of Immigration and have our Biometric Fingerprints taken. It sounds very James Bond-ish but in fact was pretty unspectacular. You may be wondering why we haven't had this done yet, but in the world of adoption, there are certain steps that have to be followed in order. The biometric fingerprints are part of getting an Immigration clearance document. We can't apply for that document until our Home Study is done. We had to send them a copy and then they send us an appointment to get our fingerprints taken. The immigration office in Indy was smaller than I expected, but the process didn't take very long once we got there. They put your fingers on a piece of glass, kind of like a copier, and then scan them. Very simple, no ink involved! The Department of Homeland Security then decides that we are okay to adopt and in a few weeks we should get the final form for our dossier.
Our dossier is almost done now! This is very exciting because this is what we have been working on all year. Collecting documents and documents and more documents. Then getting all of these documents notarized, and then all authenticated in Indy. I have most of our documents authenticated and I am just waiting on a few more to finish it up. The immigration document that comes in a few weeks will be the last piece. We will then send our completed dossier to our adoption agency and from there it goes to Poland.
A few tips for anyone who is thinking of adopting internationally:
1. Get your passport now. You will need it right away. You will need your passport number and a copy of your passport for the paperwork.
2. Get about 4 copies of your State issued birth certificate. It must be state issued, not from the county (at least in Indiana).
3. Get at lease 5 copies of your marriage license.
You will use these documents in a lot of places. It seemed like every time I turned around someone was asking for these documents!
A lot of people have been asking how long it takes once our information is in Poland. I'm really not sure how long it will be. It takes a few months to translate our dossier and then find a match for us. It could take a few months or longer. We have been praying that the right children are available to us in God's timing. Please join us in praying that our daughters will come home soon!
In the meantime, Kevin and I have had a great summer! We were very busy and it flew by fast! We visited the Indy Zoo, Mounds State Park, and spent some time with my family on the west coast of Michigan. It was great to have a break from the normal routine!
